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Claire Akamanzi

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Clare Akamanzi

Clare Akamanzi (born 1979) is a Rwandan lawyer, public administrator and businesswoman. Born in Uganda, she holds a master's degree in public administration from the Harvard Kennedy School and a master's degree in international trade and investment law from the University of Pretoria. She began her career as a commercial diplomat in London and a trade negotiator at the World Trade Organization, then served as Head of Strategy and Policy in the Office of the President before becoming chief executive officer of the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) in February 2017. She led the RDB until 2023, a period in which Rwanda rose to 29th in the World Bank's Doing Business ranking. In December 2023 she was named chief executive officer of NBA Africa, taking up the post in January 2024 as the first African and first woman to hold it. She was named a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader in 2012.

Quotes

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On leadership and public service

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  • Every decision must be about those people. It's also about service—not privilege or power, not recognition. [citation needed]
  • If you serve people, you get results; you make them better off than they were. [citation needed]
    • Attributed to an Amujae Leaders interview, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center for Women and Development (original page to be confirmed)
  • Credibility is earned. Result speaks loudest.
  • A key role for a leader is to support and mentor the next generation of leaders and create an effective team.
  • Never accept the status quo. However much the odds against you. You can always aim and achieve better.
  • Leave no one behind. Be inclusive. Whatever you choose to do in life, always remember this: involving others in designing solutions that affect them will ensure ownership and ultimately sustainability.
  • Stand for what is right and be willing to fight for it even if it's not popular. [citation needed]

On Rwanda and development

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  • A country has to be very clear about what it wants, and everybody else must be part of that. Rwanda did that very clearly. We defined what we want to do and where the priorities were. [citation needed]
    • Taarifa (May 2022) (original link to be confirmed)
  • You can prove your concept in Rwanda and then expand to the rest of the continent. [citation needed]
    • The Africa Report (March 2019) (original link to be confirmed)
  • We wanted to build Rwanda as a country for proof-of-concepts...
    • Remarks at an AfCFTA technology meetup on 15 August 2019, BusinessDay (Nigeria), August 2019
  • Aid is going towards the most vulnerable part of our needs, health, education as well as supporting agriculture, because those are the ones development partners have agreed on. [citation needed]
    • The New Times (original link to be confirmed)
  • The pursuit of excellence is a choice available to anyone from anywhere. No matter how bad the hand that faith has apportioned to you. [citation needed]
    • Entrepreneurs.ng (2020) (original link to be confirmed)

On women and opportunity

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  • Most of the big companies are owned by men; let's support each other as women so that we can also achieve such business success. This will not come easily, but it's a journey we need to embark on now. [citation needed]
    • Entrepreneurs.ng (2020) (original link to be confirmed)

On sports and economic development

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  • ...we were actually benefiting as a country when we invested in sports...
    • On Rwanda's example for Africa, "Akamanzi on Africa's potential to benefit from sports business", The New Times (February 2024)
  • If you want your child to be a great doctor, a CEO, a leader in any field, investing in their participation in sports will help them achieve that—even if they don't end up as professional athletes.
  • Sports teaches discipline, and that discipline takes you places. We've seen how consistency and discipline make a difference—not just in sports but even here in Rwanda.
  • ...we have to look at the whole ecosystem, which is beyond the courts.
    • On how the BAL can catalyse economic development, interview with Bloomberg Television, quoted in "Clare Akamanzi talks BAL expansion plans", The New Times, 30 October 2025

On balancing family and leadership

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  • Balancing family and leadership is hard—especially when your children are very young.
  • It's not easy. Leadership is a marathon, not a sprint. You need stamina. So, self-care matters.
  • Motherhood is the most intimate school for leadership and keeps you grounded—sometimes kids ask questions that challenge you to think or research more.
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